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Leves (Camillan Skirmishers)
|-|EB1= |-|EB2= EB1: The leves are the legion's front line skirmishers. In a pitched battle they will screen the legion's main battle line during the advance and harass the enemy with showers of javelins. EB2: The leves are the light infantry of Roman legions and Latin cohorts. Description They can be recruited in the central Italian provinces Latium, Umbria, Etruria, Apulia, Liguria and Campania. These are the heartlands of the Res Publica, filled with our colonies founded during the epic struggles of the past centuries. The Leves are the legion's front line skirmishers. In a pitched battle they will screen the legion's main battle line during the advance and harass the enemy. Before the heavy infantry engages trumpeteers signal them to retreat through the gaps in the Roman line and reform in the rear of the formation, or on the wings with the cavalry. The leves are armed with the gaesum, light javelins of Iberian style, a short thrusting spear and a small, but strong round shield. They wear no armour despite a helmet. Historically, the roman infantry of the late 4th and early 3rd century BC was divided by wealth in two groups. Those with the lowest property classification for military service were fighting as light infantry, separated by fighting ability into the Leves, Rorarii and Accensi. The second, more wealthy group consisted of those fighting as heavy infantry, separated by their age and fighting ability into Hastati, Principes, and Triarii. Every male roman had the duty to serve in the infantry for 16 years, or 20 years in the case of national emergency, until he had completed his 46th year of life. (Excepting those rated high enough by the censor to be members of the ordo equester.) Normally, every roman must have served at least ten years in the military before he was permitted to hold any political office. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Leves('light-armed') The leves (meaning "light-armed") are the light infantry of Roman legions and Latin cohorts. In battle, they are positioned in front of the rest of the army, where they skirmish with the enemy until their javelins are exhausted or an enemy advance drives them behind the heavy infantry. They may also be called upon to pursue a broken enemy. The leves are armed with a spear and several light javelins. They wear no helmet or body armour, relying on speed and agility to preserve them from harm. The leves are the youngest and poorest combatants in the army. Roman leves are recruited chiefly from Latium and its immediate vicinity, while Latin leves may be recruited from any region where a Latin colony is found. Usage As skirmishers for the Romani, they can be used as bait, either for luring the enemy, screening and taking missile damage. As for used in bait and skirmishing, they can be good reserve light infantry and anti-cavalry due to their spears and their numbers although it would not be wise to leave them in direct combat for too long against medium or heavy infantry due to their low morale. Category:Units Category:Romani